To Be a Friend is Fatal: the Fight to Save the Iraqis America Left Behind

Our Mission

The List Project was founded in June 2007 with the belief that the United States Government has an urgent moral obligation to resettle to safety Iraqis who are imperiled due to their affiliation with America.

Our groundbreaking program of pro bono legal assistance from hundreds of attorneys at top law firms has helped bring over 1,500 Iraqi allies to safety.

Although the war is officially over for the American public, Iraqis who formerly assisted our troops, diplomats, and aid workers are still in grave danger. Our mission continues.

On June 28, 2013, This American Life devoted the hour to the List Project's mission and the story of one Iraqi, "Omar," who pleaded unsuccessfully with U.S. government bureaucracies for help.

New website, our final list…

We’ve just launched our new site, which will be developed over the coming weeks and months principally to document our final effort here at the project: the final list.

For the past two years, we exhorted the Obama administration not to follow the mistakes of previous administrations as it implemented its withdrawal from Iraq. We saw a very clear crisis forming on the horizon: the bureaucratic process in which our Iraqi allies are struggling to navigate currently takes well over one year to get an Iraqi to safety. The Departments of State and Homeland Security were already dealing with huge backlogs of applicants before the withdrawal; once we shuttered hundreds of bases, we would ‘cut loose’ many thousand more U.S.-affiliated Iraqis who were no longer needed by our departing forces.

Never mind that hundreds, and likely well over a thousand have already been slain over the years. Never mind that various militias, terrorist groups, and senior clerics have explicitly threatened our Iraqi allies over the past year, telling them that they’ll have no future in Iraq. This administration ignored the intent of Congress and the warnings of so many in the advocacy community and did no contingency planning.

The consequences are unfolding. Since the media has withdrawn most of its reporters throughout Iraq, we have decided to make public the threats, assassination attempts, and other relevant incidents that the Iraqis on the List are currently experiencing. To move this beyond a debate between predictions and wishful thinking, we have decided to start posting the reality. Whether or not our Government responds remains to be seen.

Iraqi who had worked for 5 years on USAID projects returned home to find gunmen waiting. His wife, 5-y-o son, and infant daughter were herded into a bathroom while he was forced to his knees. The militants issued their final warning to him. His case has been pending with the U.S. Government for nearly 4 years.

Baghdad

Baghdad

2/13/13

Hizb Allah in Iraq

Iraqi receives death threat letter, which includes an AK-47 round.

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12/23/12

Unknown

Former USAID employee tailed by car filled with militants, who pulled up alongside and drew a weapon. He managed to escape but is concerned for his safety.

Baghdad

Baghdad

6/20/2012

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Former interpreter is gunned down and murdered in his home by militants.

Kirkuk

6/2012

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Iraqi who worked with the U.S. is kidnapped and beheaded. Brother of the slain victim receives a phone call shortly after saying "you will be next."

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5/2012

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Iraqi Interpreter who worked with U.S. forces is kidnapped. Two weeks later, after a long search, his family learns that he has been tortured and murdered. At the time of his death, he had been desperately waiting for a visa to resettle in the U.S.

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3/10/2012

Asaib ahl al-Haq (League of the Righteous)

An Iraqi reports from Baghdad that he received a threat letter from Asaib ahl al-haq. The letter came with a syringe and a bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid, and read "to the [American] client (i.e traitor)....examine this, we will wash your faces and bodies in it."

Baghdad

Baghdad

2/16/2012

Iraqi Government ; Ministry of Interior

Ministry of Interior press release calls for a campaign to eliminate so called "emo" youth. "Emo" is used loosely in Iraq, encompassing many different strata of those perceived to be subversives. Although the press release did not call for killing, it essentially gave tacit approval to extremist groups to persecute these Iraqis. Many young Iraqis were indeed targeted and killed in the following month, in a number of brutal attacks.
These attacks have highlighted the still very real stigma of any perceived western or U.S. influence in Iraq, and many Iraqis who worked with the U.S. that are still in the country are under increased pressure to keep their whereabouts unknown.

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2/7/2012

Sunni Insurgent group website

A site affiliated with sunni insurgents begins to post names and pictures of those who worked with the United States during the war. The lists are a means to find and hunt these Iraqis down.

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1/27/2012

Islamic State of Iraq | "Sheikh" Abu Muhammad al-Adnani

ISI releases an audio statement, reaffirming its will to fight and drive out foreign influence, both American and Iranian. Included in the statement is a threat to our Iraqi allies : "[Iraq is] a shame upon the history of America! It has been defeated and no longer has the ability for direct confrontation since it signed the withdrawal agreement and fled from the cities to the military bases, to escape the trap of attrition it suffered for many years, and it is now returning to the proxy war. Our fight is still with their agents and their apostate followers, and the rejectionists (referring to Iraqi Shia and Iran, who he conflates here to make them seem like disloyal Iraqis)."

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1/25/2012

Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr

Iraqi on the List contacts us to report an attempted assassination. He has since fled his home and gone into hiding.

Baghdad (Al-Mansour)

Baghdad

1/24/2012

Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr

Iraqi contacts TLP to report that JAM attacked a U.S.-affiliated Iraqi who is waiting on a visa, along with his son. The Iraqi police declined to get involved, stating it was a tribal matter.

Baghdad (Mustansiriya)

Baghdad

1/22/2012

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TLP Netroots volunteers report the assassination of a U.S.-affiliated Iraqi, while recovering in the hospital from a bomb attack.

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1/17/2012

Islamic State of Iraq

A U.S. affiliated Iraqi emails TLP, notifying us that he came home to find a live pistol round at the door of his home, a telltale sign of threats by militants who wish to kill those affiliated with the U.S.

Baghdad(A'zamiyah)

Baghdad

1/13/2012

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Iraqi contact relays that while leaving the International Zone (Green Zone) in Baghdad an unmarked sedan pulled up beside the car he and a colleague were riding in and three young men motioned with pistols for them to stop. After a high speed chase, they were able to reach a security checkpoint and escaped any harm.

Baghdad (International Zone)

Baghdad

12/15/2011

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Iraqi contacts TLP, explaining that he was advised by a relative in Iraqi Army Intelligence that because Iraqi Government info on Iraqis working with U.S. may be given or fall into the wrong hands, that he should be very careful in months ahead.

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12/12/2011

Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr

Iraqi source in Baghdad tells us of info he received from a high level Iraqi government source, telling him that Sadrists at Al-Mustansiriyah University in Baghdad are seeking to bar any U.S. affiliated Iraqi Interpreters and their family members, deeming them collaborators. Those who perpetrated the threat are remnants of the feared "League of Students" a group of Shia fundamentalist students who in the past have conducted violent campaigns on the campus, raping and killing a number of students and professors in a reign of terror that forced the University to temporarily close its doors in 2009. Some say the group still controls the security at the University and is looking to bar select students

Baghdad

Baghdad

11/24/2011

Iraqi Police

Iraqi who worked with the U.S. contacts TLP, explaining that he had been threatened outside his home by an Iraqi policeman, who told him that he would be beheaded because he was a disloyal traitor and an American puppet.

Baghdad

Baghdad

11/21/2011

Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr

List Project applicant notifies us that her husband was released from his work with the U.S. at the air base in Ramadi, as the Army prepares to hand over the base to Iraqi armed forces. Her husband is now hiding from elements of the Mahdi army, which he says are hunting down U.S. affiliated Iraqis in the area.

Ramadi

Al-Anbar

11/20/2011

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Iraqi Newspaper Sabah al-Jadeed (New Morning) reports from Baquba that Iraqi personnel who have worked with Americans, from government officials to translators, are currently disposing of any photographs or documents that associate them with Americans. This is being done out of fear of retribution from extremists.

Baquba

Diyala

11/16/2011

Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr

More Iraqis contact TLP in desperation regarding rumors that that Jaysh Al-Mahdi will target in force Iraqis who worked with the United States after withdrawal. Allegedly, because of the their ties to the government, they have access to all identification databases for Iraqi workers in the International Zone in Baghdad, allowing them to obtain personal information such as addresses, pictures and phone numbers.

Baghdad

Baghdad

11/11/2011

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Aswat al Iraq reports that 4000 Iraqis working with the United States Army through subcontractors KBR and GLS were released from their jobs on Friday November 11th. The article also noted that the companies did not work to help those seeking to get to the U.S. because of threats, and also released them without a termination bonus.

Nasiriyah

Dhi Qar

11/11/2011

Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr

Press release from Muqtada al-Sadr, in response to a question regarding whether he will work toward the Islamization of society. He vows he will, and also adds that he will not differentiate from Sunni, Shia, Christian, etc, and then made these further qualifying remarks: "I call on everyone to transcend their differences and build a new Iraq, free from the "destructor" (Saddam) and his men, from terrorism and its agents, militias, troops and of the occupation and its clients."

Baghdad

Baghdad

11/03/2011

Grand Ayatollah and Marja Mahmoud Hassani Sorkhi

On October 28th, Grand Ayatollah Mahmoud Hassani Sorkhi released a statement in conjunction with a celebration for Mohammed Sadiq al Sadr, (murdered by Saddam in 1999, and Moqtada's Father) which following the Islamic calender, would be the 13th anniversary of his death. Sorkhi praises Sadr, calls out the U.S. occupation and the corruption it has ushered in. He also tells followers to "Reject the occupation, the invaders and the collaborators, and those who prepared for their arrival and are satisfied with their work. A clear victory to reject the occupation and its presence." Link: Source

Baghdad

Baghdad

10/31/2011

Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr

State Department representative informs Iraqi USAID contractor staff that Muqtada al-Sadr has announced a war on U.S.-affiliated Iraqis and has given them an ultimatum to leave with U.S. by the end of the year.

Department of State representative suggests that Iraqi staff take extra security precautions from now on.

Baghdad

Baghdad

9/01/2011

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Iraqi on the List alleges that many assassinations are being carried out in Nasiriyah, and that U.S. affiliated Iraqis are among the main targets.

Nasiriyah

Dhi Qar

9/01/2011

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Iraqi on the List relates a story that he heard about militias having a list of names of Iraqis who have worked for the United States, and that they have been trying to find and kill those Iraqis. Aswat al Iraq reports in October that a security source in Diwaniyah confirmed that there was a list of persons of influence that militants were seeking to assassinate. The article also added that nine people had been assassinated within the timeframe of one month

Diwaniyah

Al-Qadisiyyah

09/01/2011

Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr

Threat against USAID contractor causes them to inform their Iraqi staff that they will move their compound to a more secure location.

Baghdad

Baghdad

12/8/2011

Iraqi Army

Iraqi newspaper al-aalam reports that 12 Iraqi U.S. Army interpreters were allegedly arrested by the Iraqi Army during a recent base transfer ceremony in the province of Diyala. The List Project has not been able to verify that this event took place.

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Diyala

6/30/2011

Association of Muslim Scholars | Harith Al-Dhari

Harith Al-Dhari, leader of Iraq's Association of Muslim Scholars, and known as a spiritual leader among Iraq's Sunni Insurgency, released a statement to his followers on June 30th, the 91st anniversary of the 1920 Iraqi revolt against the British occupation. In it he praised the resistance to the U.S. and expressed the following: "Do not fall into the temptation of the invaders, the invaders and their agents who prefer money over law. They betrayed the interests of Iraq and its people."

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06/23/2011

Jaysh Al-Mahdi | Muqtada Al-Sadr

Attack on U.S. convoy headed to Mustansiriyah University, killing one American and injuring another.

As a result, one prominent security contractor forbids trips to any areas controlled by Sadrists

Baghdad

Baghdad

Comments

I am [REDACTED] I have Employed with US army In Kirkuk Province. In My mission with US army many threaten I have faced thought out my working with them. One of them were in Rashad Value we have found our names (Interpreters) in a sheet of paper to be slaughter . But unfortunately some got killed other like me escaped and until present time I am living in fear .

I can no longer write or said more than what I wrote earlier I am and my family are facing an unknown fate most likely its death, heard that the list project requests from each translator has been threatened or killed to sends you his story, What will I do in this case I do not know that how to lie to make a false story, as many they will do, do not know if my candor will put me in new problem as it was my work with U.S. forces